Last weekend, we survived arctic temperatures and hurricane-level wind gusts here in Cape May, NJ.

Either one on its own is bad enough.

Together? That was… chilling. 😉

For a Cape May flower farm, wind at that level is more nerve-wracking than almost anything else.

Cold you can prepare for.
Snow you can manage.
But wind? Wind is chaos.

And when you grow local flowers in New Jersey, chaos is not your favorite forecast.

Why High Winds Are So Dangerous for a Flower Farm

At Seashore Flower Farm, our biggest fear during a winter storm is always the hoophouse.

A hoophouse is essentially a large, plastic-covered structure that extends our growing season and protects equipment and plants. Ours is unheated in winter and currently empty, but it stores all the tools and supplies we need once field season begins.

We’re constantly worried the plastic skin will tear loose and peel off the structure like a bad sunburn, taking supports with it.

Exposing that equipment to salt air, snow, and rain would be… deeply unfun.

Then there are the low tunnels, the miniature version of the hoophouse, protecting our overwintering seedlings in the field.

These cold-hardy plants (think early spring blooms for our Cape May flower stand) can handle freezing temperatures.

What they can’t handle?

Below-freezing wind ripping through their protection.

Hurricane-level gusts can undo a low tunnel in seconds.

Thankfully, the tunnels held.

The seedlings stayed protected.

The hoophouse, however… did not escape unscathed.

When a Hoophouse Tries to Become a Kite

The wind tore straight through the zipper stitching on the end doors, leaving them violently flapping in and out like something out of a disaster movie.

And this wasn’t just cosmetic damage.

Openings at both ends can turn a hoophouse into a kite.

A very large, very expensive kite.

So there we were, Steve and me, outside in 50–60 mph gusts, wind chills in the negatives, trying to engineer a temporary fix that would anchor the doors to the ground and stop the wind from blasting through.

(I’m grateful it wasn’t in the middle of the night.)

It felt a little like Apollo 13.

Industrial tape.
Rope.
Clamps.

Problem-solving under pressure.

And somehow… it worked.

Not pretty. Not permanent. But enough to carry our New Jersey flower farm through until warmer weather allows for a proper repair.

Farming, Resilience, and Staying Calm in the Storm

Every year, the farm tests our resilience.

Between storm prep, crop planning, seed starting, and protecting overwintering plants, flower farming in Cape May requires more critical thinking than I ever expected. Honestly, with the amount of problem-solving required out here, I don’t know why I worry about Alzheimer’s — the farm is handling that preventative care just fine.

But here’s what I’ve learned over the years of running a small, family-owned flower farm:

Don’t panic when you’re faced with a challenge.

I think about my mother in moments like this.

Before GPS, she would drive herself to unfamiliar towns to take a class or track down some obscure ingredient she wanted to try. She told me she’d sometimes get lost.

I once asked what she did when that happened. I would absolutely panic.

She said, “Why would I worry? I’m in my car, I have a full tank of gas, and I’ll just keep driving calmly until I find my way.”

That stayed with me.

When a storm tears through the farm, when doors rip open, when wind howls through plastic and steel, I try to move through it the same way:

Steady.
Observant.
Trusting that a solution will show up if I don’t spiral first.

And so far?

It always has.

The Promise of Spring Flowers in Cape May

Winter storms are loud reminders of what it takes to grow seasonal, locally grown flowers in Cape May, NJ.

They’re also reminders of why we do this.

Because on the other side of arctic blasts and hurricane winds are tulips, ranunculus, anemones, and the reopening of our flower stand.

And right now, with Valentine’s Day here, there’s still time to lean into that promise.

If you were thinking about ordering the promise of flowers — or requesting them as a gift — there are still a few glass heart ornaments available with our mini flower subscriptions.

Because sometimes the best antidote to winter wind is knowing spring is already on its way.